Life zones of the Mediterranean region
The climate and ecology of land immediately surrounding the Mediterranean Sea is influenced by several factors. Overall, the land has a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The climate induces characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation. Plant life immediately near the Mediterranean is in the Mediterranean Floristic region, while mountainous areas further from the sea supports the Sub-Mediterranean Floristic province.
An important factor in the local climate and ecology of the lands in the Mediterranean basin is the elevation: an increase of elevation by causes the average air temperature to drop by 5 C/ 9 F and decreases the amount of water that can be held by the atmosphere by 30%. This decrease in temperature and increase in rainfall result in altitudinal zonation, where the land can be divided into life zones of similar climate and ecology, depending on elevation.
Mediterranean vegetation shows a variety of ecological adaptations to hot and dry summer conditions. As Mediterranean vegetation differ both in species and composition from temperate vegetation, ecologists use special terminology for the Mediterranean altitudinal zonation:
- Eu-mediterranean belt: 20- 16 °C
- Sub-mediterranean belt: 15- 12 °C
- Hilly region: 11- 8 °C
- Mountainous belt: 7- 4 °C
- Alpine belt: 3- 0 °C
- Subnival belt: 0- minus 4 °C
Examples of each of these altitudinal zonation patterns is described below, by examining the climate and ecology of several locations around the Mediterranean Basin.
Dinaric Alps of the Balkan Peninsula
An example of the wetter pattern comes from the Orjen range in the southeastern coastal Dinaric ranges of Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina.Above of elevation, the Orjen range lies in the Dinaric Mountains mixed forests ecoregion. This ecoregion is known for its humidity, compared to other mountain ranges of the Mediterranean. Life zones in the Orjen range, with corresponding elevation ranges and indicator species are:
- Eu-mediterranean , Holm Oak, Kermes Oak, Olive tree. More humid habitats show Bay Laurel and Oleander formations.
- Supra-mediterranean , Macedonian Oak and Oriental Hornbeam ; above Turkey Oak and Hungarian Oak or Italian Oak. With more humidity: Forests of Sweet Chestnut, Downy Oak or Pubescent Oak and European Hophornbeam.
- Oro-mediterranean , Forest of Common Beech over calcareous soil. Dinaric calcareous block fir forest; European Silver Fir.
- Alti-mediterranean ;, European Beech, Bosnian Pine, Greek Maple at the Tree line. The less humid regions have Juniper over Sesleria robusta grasses.
- Cry-omediterranean ;, Xerophytes. Trifolium, Narcissus, Gentiana nivalis, Draba hoppeanae, Androsace alpina.
Climate
and Crkvice in the supra-mediterranean belt:
Note how the mean temperature near sea level is comparable to the high temperature at Crkvice, 940 meters higher.
Sierra Nevada of Spain
The Sierra Nevada of central Spain is an example of eu-mediterranean zonation arising from moderate aridity. The Sierra Nevada lie in the Iberian conifer forests ecoregion, which contain conifers above elevation, with mixed oak woodland below. The base of the mountains have a continental Mediterranean climate, which gets progressively cooler as the elevation increases:- Thermomediterranean zone ; under elevation. Summers are hot here and winters almost nonexistent. This zone is mostly used for agriculture, but studies say Mastic, Common Juniper, and Mediterranean Smilax or Common Smilax would normally grow here. Rosemary, Purret and Gum Rockrose are present on poor soils or after forest fires.
- Mesomediterranean zone elevation. The summers are here still hot but frosts are normal in the winters. In this zone Mastic, wild Olive and Mediterranean Smilax or Common Smilax grow. Poor sandy soils have few species with the Holm Oak, the Common Junipers,, Daphne gnidium and Etruscan honeysuckle.
- Supramediterranean zone elevation. The summers are here temperate and frosts and snow are frequent in winter. Quercus pyrenaica predominates, Portuguese Oak and maple appear too; these three species make up the forest. More frequent are the Sessile Oaks between 1,300 and 1,750 m. The Sessile Oaks are dominated by the Holm Oaks and, depending on soil and altitude, by bushes as Common Juniper, barberry,, Butcher's broom and Common Hawthorn over basic soils.
- Oromediterranean zone elevation. In this zone, coniferous plants and sparse Juniperus thurifera appear. The vegetation is composed by trees and bushes, Savin Juniper and other bushes. On better soils the Common Juniper, Juniperus communis and Cytisus appears, forming communities with Arenaria imbricata, Festuca indigesta. The endemic flora is present too: Genista versicolor, Arenaria pungens, Potentilla nevadensis.
- Cryo-oromediterranean zone ; elevation. Ligneous plants can not grow here because of the seasonal dryness typical of the Mediterranean climate and the presence of snow for more than 8 months. The vegetation has similarities to the Arctic tundra, with the Mat-grass as the most common species.
Climate
Prado Llano, in the Albergue Juvenil of Cordoba has an oromediterranean climate because it is approximately higher:
Corsica
The mountains of Corsica are in the Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, with a pattern of forest zones that are strongly dependent on altitude :- Thermomediterranean vegetation belt, and ; Pistacia lentiscus shrubs and dense mediterranean coastal scrub with Quercus ilex, Phillyrea, Myrtus communis and wild olive.
- Mesomediterranean vegetation belt, up to and ; Erica arborea, Arbutus unedo and Quercus ilex. Forests include Quercus suber, Pinus pinaster, Quercus pubescens and Castanea sativa too.
- Supramediterranean vegetation belt, up to , or to ; Erica arborea, Quercus ilex, Quercus petraea, Pinus nigra ssp. laricio, Almus cordata, Ilex aquifolium, Taxus baccata and Ostrya carpinifolia.
- Montane vegetation belt, to and ; forests of Pinus nigra ssp. laricio, Fagus sylvatica and Abies alba. Quercus ilex, Quercus pubescens, Pinus pinaster, Castanea sativa and Erica arborea not present anymore.
- Cryo-oromediterranean vegetation belt, to ; above the upper Tree line, dwarfed bushes of Genista lobelii var. lobelioides, Astragalus sirinicus ssp. genargenteus, Anthyllis hemanniae, Thymus herbabarona, Berberis aetnensis and Juniperus communis ssp. alpina.
- Subalpine vegetation belt, to ; Alnus viridis ssp. suaveolens, Acer pseudoplatanus, Sorbus aucuparia ssp. praemorsa.
- Alpine vegetation belt, above ; sparse vegetation.
- Indicator plants: Rock Speedwell, Potentilla crassinervia, Armeria pusilla, Cerastium thomasii, Phyteuma serratum, Stachys corsica e Helichrysum frigidum.
Climate